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Home › Articles › Development › Computers and Toddlers

Computers and Toddlers

Making the Right Connection

By Jacqueline Bodnar

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Cindy Hale of Nesbit, Miss., introduced her daughter to the computer when she was just 3 years old. Now, at 4, the little girl is quite skilled at using them. "She goes to a private school where the teachers start them out on learning games and teach them to use the mouse," Hale says. "She benefits because she is learning while she is playing."

Pam Zangardi of Severn, Md., is one of many parents across the country who agree that their children have benefited from being exposed to computers at an early age. "[My daughter]has benefited from using the computer because she had to memorize which buttons to push," Zangardi says. "Plus, she'll have some basic knowledge of computers when she begins kindergarten, and they teach keyboarding."

A Growing Trend
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest growth in the software industry has been those titles that are specifically for the early-childhood education market.The association statesthat 70 percent of households that have computers and young children have purchased educational software for their children to use.

However, that doesn't mean everything on the market is good or that children will benefit from all software. The NAEYC advises that considerable research points to the positive effects of technology on children's learning and development. That being said, however, it's important to remember that computers are a supplement and not a replacement for other forms of activity and learning. Just like any other type of activity, it can be used in a positive way, but it also can be misused.

Parental Precautions
"One misconception that many parents have is that computers are necessarily better or more educational than television," says Dr. Melissa Burnham, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. "Both are forms of screen media. Computers are potentially more interactive, so if I were asked to think of a benefit, that would be it."

Dr. Burnhamadvises that, for those parentswho do want to introduce their toddlers to computers, the child should be over the age of 2, and the time spent per session should be limited to no more than 30 minutes.

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